By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JAKARTA/BALI (Worthy News) – The death toll from the volcanic eruption on Indonesia’s Mount Marapi that caught dozens of climbers by surprise this month has risen to 24 after a teenage girl, who became a symbol of determination and hope, lost her life.
After 13 days of receiving treatment in the hospital. Zhafirah Zahrim Febrina’s body was brought from the M Djamil Central General Hospital (RSUP) in Padang, West Sumatra, Worthy News learned Thursday.
The 19-year-old girl, better known as Ife, an aspiring athlete who wanted to join the Navy, was among the climbers impacted by the volcanic eruption on December 3, 2023.
In a video obtained by Worthy News, she said at the time: “Mum, I am still alive, but this is my condition now,” her face covered in volcanic ash. “Please help me.”
People who knew her and likely prayed for her recovery recalled her humor and expressions of hope during her difficult time in the hospital.
Yet eventually, with 45 percent of her body burned, she died from respiratory infections, her family announced.
“I was devastated when I heard the news from Ife’s father,” said Rani Radelani, Ife’s aunt.
Mount Marapi, located in the Agan Regency and Tanah Datar Regency areas in West Sumatra province, has been active since a January eruption that caused no casualties. It is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.
Dozens of climbers were near the danger zone when the initial eruption spewed thick ash columns as high as 9,800 feet (3,000 meters).
Rescuers say they saved more than 50 climbers. But for two dozen others, it was their last climb. They included Ife, for whom life had just begun.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Christians in the Philippines appealed for prayers Sunday after authorities warned of “life-threatening” surges as the sixth massive storm hitting the nation in the past month intensified.
Poland says it has scrambled fighter jets and mobilized “all available forces” on Sunday amid a “massive” Russian missile and drone attack on neighboring Ukraine that killed at least seven people.
Christian residents in the Dutch town of Urk, known for its many churches and fishing traditions, are providing shelter to Jews after the Netherlands’ first pogrom since World War Two.
The ‘Days of Repentance’ operation launched by Israel against Iran in late October targeted and destroyed a highly secretive nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, according to Axios.
A United Nations committee has agreed to tackle “hate speech” and “misinformation” globally through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and media, despite worries the approach may “stifle pluralistic debate.”
Christians in Myanmar’s Rakhine state face continued persecution by the country’s Buddhist military junta (Tatmadaw), which has proved itself violently hostile to believers and recently imposed new restrictions on church services, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Brief scuffles broke out, and soccer fans whistled and booed as the Israeli anthem played at the start of the France-Israel match in Paris following a pogrom against Jews in the Netherlands, officials said Friday.